Hire an older child or teenager. A few years ago, when I visited a high school friend, I felt somewhat jealous of her ultra-clean house and maid service. Then it struck me: I had four maids — at least, potential maids — in my family. All I had to do was train my children to clean the house and pay them a fair wage.

Think of all the possibilities for hiring your children to help you out at home with housework, baking, babysitting, tutoring, and more — a real bargain for you, and an earning opportunity for them.

Barter. Homeschoolers I know have arranged all sorts of bartering situations: exchanging babysitting, teaching various courses to each other's children, taking turns driving kids to lessons.

Co-op. Our family is part of a large cooperative of 165 students who study music and drama. Eric (17), Christian (16), Lisa (15), and Mary (12) are all involved in two of the three orchestras, and Eric plays piano in the select ensemble. (The co-op loans our children, at no charge, a cello, a violin, and a keyboard amplifier.) All sing in the advanced choir, and all participate in drama. I teach keyboard class and accompany the advanced choir. Because none of our homeschool moms/teachers are paid, and every parent is required to actively participate in some job for the co-op, our family's total yearly costs are less than the cost of paying teachers, for the same amount of instruction, for two weeks.

That co-op is formally structured, but in the past I have been involved with much smaller, more informal groups. When my children were young, we were part of a group who met once a month to participate in seasonal and/or holiday crafts and activities. Later we formed Nature Club, and mothers took turns planning lessons around nature-related units. This group later voted to expand into Science Club and include other science units.

The advantages of co-ops are many: socializing for parents and children, the chance to take advantage of other parents' knowledge and skills (especially when you're deficient in those areas), and simply having fun together. Co-ops can also save you a significant amount of cash.

WHEN YOU NEED SUPPLIES AND HOUSEHOLD ITEMS, MAYBE YOU CAN. . .
Shop garage sales. Shop early, or shop late, always offer a lower price than what's marked, seek out sales that are not advertised in the paper, as these tend to have fewer customers and more selection.

Garage sales can offer a treasure trove of school supplies when you look in the right neighborhoods. Target the subdivisions that have families with children. Then keep an eye out for educational toys, craft supplies, sewing kits, old tools, etc. — anything you can use to supplement your school work.

Wait for the really good store sales. In our area, Wal-Mart, Office Max, and other retailers drop school supplies to nearly rock-bottom prices in early August. If you can manage to wait, try to stock up on these supplies for the entire year.